Hook and eye



H. V. RAU.

.HOOK AND EYE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 15, IBIS).

1,407,482, Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

Fi .1 Fm.2 FJIG.3

ATTORNEY gated hook.

HENRY V. RAU', OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

HOOK AND EYE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

Application filed December 15, 1919. Serial No. 344,902.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HnNnY V. RAU, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hooks and Eyes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to fastenin devices of the hook and eye type.

The principal objectof my invention is to provide a fastening device of the hook and eye type in which the fastening engagement of the parts can be effected with a minimum degree of trouble and which, nevertheless, provides a substantial additional security against accidental disengagement of the members over that afforded by hook and eye constructions heretofore known and used.

In prior fastening devices of this general nature it has been the practiceto make use of hook members having a substantially elongated formation with relation to the length of the opening provided by the eye; This characteristic of prior hooks has given rise to a considerable difficulty in bringing the fastening members into mutually engaging position, since it has bcennecessary to pull or stretch the sheet to which the eyelet is attached to an extent sufficient to cause the eyelet to pass over the end of the elon- This has been disadvantageous where the fastening devices are applied to material having but a small degree of elasticity and the advantage of making use of a hook necessitating the smallest possible pulling and stretching of the material is evident. I

I have discovered that by making the length of the hook substantially equal to the length of the eye, I am enabled to overcome the defect pointed out in prior devices to a very marked degree. In addition, in order to decrease the likelihood of an accidental disengagement of the member, I increase the width of the hook member to a considerable extent over that known in prior devices and preferably make the width ofthe hook equal'to its length and also substantially equal to the width of the eye. The hook therefore is fitted to the eye and must be centered with relation to the eye in order to effect an engagement or disengagement of parts. The overhanging effect of either one side or the other of the hook with relation to the corresponding side of the eye which takes place when the hook and eye are not relatively centered, is effective to maintain engagement of the parts under conditions wherein hook and eye devices of the prior art, in which the hook member was relatively narrow as compared to the eye, would have to depend 011 the length of the hook to effect this purpose.

In order to bring about a ready engagementof the'hook with the eye with a minimum degree of difliculty, I preferably so form the hook member that it has a dome or inverted bowl shaped top by means of which the more pressing of the eye downwardly on the top of the hook has the effect of automatically centering the parts with relation to each other and guiding them to their engaging position. In addition, to assist in the engaging operation, I so form the shank of the hook that it has a camming action on the corresponding conveXly rounded edge of the eyelet and operates to deflect the opposite edge of the e yelet into a secured position under neath the free end of the hook. In this action it will be clear that the inherent pull or elasticity of the material assists in pulling the eye member to its engaged position underneath the hook.

While it is thus a simple matter to bring the parts into operative engagement, it is a difficult matter to bring about disengagement of the parts by accidental displacement, since'the parts must be exactly centered and relatively moved so as to bring the side edges of the hook out of overhanging relation to the corresponding sides of the eye, as well as to cause the free end of the hook to clear the edge of the eyelet member.

Other features of the invention will be hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the top of a hook embodying a part of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the hook member shown in Figure l. Figure 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of thehook member attached to a suitable base plate.

Figure 4. is a plan view of the base me1nher to which the hook may be attached.

Figure 5 is a plan view of an eyelet member suitable for use with the hook member illustrated.

Fi ure 6 is a View showing the relative sizes of the hook and eye members.

In the drawings I have shown a hook member 1 having a substantially circular or round top as is indicated in Figure 1, the size of which is so proportioned as to substantially fit and pass through the eyelet 2 as shown in Figure 5. By constructing the hook member with a circular formation, I provide a. width in the hook top or bill that is equal to its length and in this way produce a structure which requires a minimum stretching of the material carrying the eyelet in order to bring the hook and eye members into engaging position and, at the same time, provide a construction in which the possibility of accidental displacement of the parts is practically eliminated.

' It will be seen that by providing a hook whose length is relatively short is compared to the elongated hook members known in the prior art, the necessity for stretching the material to an extent sufficient to pull the eyelet a substantial distance beyond the main body of the hook member is done away with, so that the construction is particularly well adapted for use with the curtains, cushion covers and the like used in connection with automobiles in the place of the snap fasteners and other equivalent and unsatisfactory fastening devices heretofore used in such situations.

On the other hand, the unusually great width of the hook member as compared with the width of hook members heretofore known provides an extremely secure engage ment of the parts when in fastening position,

since the slightest deviation of the hook and eye members relatively to each other produces an overhanging relation of one or the other side of the hook with relation to the eye to thereby prevent disengagement of the parts. In other words, the hook top or bill member must be exactly centered with relation to the eye before it can pass therethrough, a condition that effectually eliminates any chance of accidental disengagement of the hook and eye from interlocking position.

In order to provide a large base area for the hook member 1, so as to insure that it will be securely held in place on the surface to which it is attached, I preferably provide a base plate 3 of any desired size and having suitable holes 4: therein by means of which the plate can be sewed or otherwise attached to the desired materiaL' A centrally disposed opening 5 in the plate 3 is provided to receive the tubular stem 6 of the hook I which is thereupon upset or clinched in the manner indicated in Figure 3 to form an unseparable connection with the base plate 3.

Another feature of the invention resides in. the provision of a convex or inverted bowl-shaped top on the hook 1 which serves to center and guide the eyelet toengaging position when the eyelet is pressed downwardly on the top of the hook in the manner indicated in Figure 6. To still further facilitate the bringiing of the parts into engaging position, I form the shank 8 of the hook member with an outwardly curved formation as indicated in'Fi'gure 2, by means of which a camming action is eifected on the engaged side of the eyelet when the eyelet is passed downwardly beyond the top portion of the hook, the camming action serving to move the eyelet to a secure engaged position with relation to the hook. It will thus be seen that the hook and eye can be assembled into engaging position by the mere pressure of one against the other, following the practice used in assembling snap fastenerparts, while a more secure construction both as to security against disengagement of the parts and with relation to withstanding rough mechanical usage is provided than by fastening devices known and used in the prior art.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A hook and eye construction comprising: a round eye, a round hook substantially fitting the eye opening, a convex top portion on said hook, and a shank supporting said top portion at one edge thereof and formed to exert a camming action on said eye and move the opposite edge of the eye underneath the free edge of the hook when the eye is pressed over the top portion of the hook.

2. A hook and eye construction comprising: a round eye,'and a round hook substantially fitting the eye opening, the top of said hook having a convex formation whereby'the eye is centered with relation to the hook when pressed against said convex top portion to thereby guide the parts into engaging relation.

3. A hook member having a tubular stem, and a base plate provided with means where by it may be attached to a suitable surface, said base plate being also provided with an opening in which the tubular stem of the hook member isreceived and upset to per HENRY v. Ran. 

